Xbeauty 50" Recessed and Wall Mounted Review

What it has going for it

What changes in your evenings

50 in wide, per the listing. Wide enough to be the focal point of a living-room wall. Check in the installation drawing whether the figure is the frame or the viewing area, then hold it against your wall cavity.

1,500 W / 5,100 BTU, up to 400 sq ft claimed. Supplemental heat for the room you sit in: it takes the edge off a cold evening while the furnace stays turned down. The 400 sq ft figure is the seller's; real coverage depends on your insulation, windows and ceiling. Our supplemental heat planner puts it in numbers for your room.

12 flame colors, 12 ember-bed colors. Classic orange for winter evenings, something bolder when friends are over, or just the embers glowing behind a movie. How real each setting looks is for your eyes to judge in the photos and videos; the count is the seller's. Our flame effects guide sorts the settings you'll use from the ones you'll forget.

Living room or bedroom?

For the living room, 50 inches of fire are wide enough to anchor a big wall. A 400 sq ft coverage claim is pitched at a main room, not a box room. All those flame colors are made for showing off when friends come round.

For a bedroom or a study, the timer switches it off after you fall asleep. The flame runs without heat, so it can glow on a warm night too.

On balance it is a living-room centrepiece that can also do a smaller room, not the other way round.

Great for you if…

• You want the chill off one room on cold evenings
• You like to change the mood of the room
• You want the glow all year, heat or no heat
• You trust a long track record: 2,196 buyer reviews

Skip it if…

• Your wall can't give it 50 in plus the clearances in the manual
• You want it to replace your heating: it is supplemental heat for one room
• You want to run it from your phone: the listing names no app or WiFi

A better fit for your room?

Want a wider fire for a bigger wall? The Touchstone Sideline 60" Smart (9.5/10) states 60 in.

Short on wall space? The Innoflame 36" Insert with Log Set (7.7/10) is 36 in wide, per its listing.

Want to run it from your phone? The LegendFlame 60" Smart Wall/Recessed (8.8/10) works with Alexa, per its listing.

Our take

The verdict

Our favourite thing about the Xbeauty 50" Recessed and Wall Mounted is 50 inches of fire across the wall, closely followed by 1,500 watts of supplemental heat. 2,196 buyers back that up with 4.6/5, about as reassuring as a review record gets. Honestly, the catch: watts and square-footage claims are the seller's, so your room, windows and insulation decide what you really feel. We'd pick it if you want the chill off one room on cold evenings; otherwise, put it next to the Touchstone Sideline 60" Smart first.